Gledhow is a suburb of north east

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, England, east of

Chapel Allerton Chapel Allerton is an inner suburb of north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, from the city centre. It sits within the Chapel Allerton ward of Leeds City Council and had a population of 18,206 and 23,536 at the 2001 and 2011 census respect ...

and west of

Roundhay Roundhay is a large suburb in north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Roundhay had a population of 22,546 in 2011. It sits in the Roundhay ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds North East parliamentary constituency. History Etymology Roun ...

. It sits in the

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and

Leeds North East Leeds North East is a constituency which has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Fabian Hamilton of the Labour Party. Boundaries 1918–1950: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Crossgates, Roundh ...

parliamentary constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

Etymology

The name ''Gledhow'' is first attested the period 1334-37 as ''Gledhou''. Its etymology is uncertain. The ''gled-'' element could plausibly come from the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

words ''gleoda'' ('kite, bird of prey') or ''glēd'' ('embers, burning coals'). The second element could be from Old English ''hōh'' ('ridge, escarpment') or

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

''haugr'' ('hill'). It has been suggested (in relation to similar names like ''Gledhill'') that a ''gled-'' element may alternatively be based on the Old Norse ‘å glede’ (to please, or be glad about a subject) giving a translation of 'Pleasant Hill.'

Description and history

Well into the 19th century, Gledhow was known as a picturesque area of

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

near Leeds. It had become a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

of Leeds by the late 19th century. Gledhow Valley is a strip of mixed deciduous woodland on either side of a beck and lake. Gipton Spa, a bathhouse dating from 1671, is in the woods. Passing through the valley is Gledhow Valley Road, built in 1926. Gledhow Lane crosses Gledhow Valley Road and on the eastern side is a steep road up from the valley. The residential area near the top is known as "Little Switzerland". Gledhow Primary School is on Lidgett Lane.

Roundhay School Roundhay is a large suburb in north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Roundhay had a population of 22,546 in 2011. It sits in the Roundhay ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds North East parliamentary constituency. History Etymology Round ...

and Kerr Mackie primary school are adjacent to each other off Gledhow Lane. To the north are

Allerton Grange School Allerton Grange School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Moortown, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The school has around 1,500 pupils. History Allerton Grange was established in 1953 in response to the natural inc ...

and Moor Allerton Hall Primary School. Gledhow is served by bus services 3/13 on Brackenwood Drive and 3A/13A on Lidgett Lane. The hourly service 38 is alternately operated by

First Leeds First West Yorkshire operates both local and regional bus services in West Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of the FirstGroup, and is made up of three sub-division brands: First Bradford, First Halifax, Calder Valley & Huddersfield and Firs ...

and

Yorkshire Tiger Team Pennine operates both local and regional bus services in West Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield, which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. History St ...

Gledhow Hall Gledhow Hall is an English country house in Gledhow, Leeds, West Yorkshire. A house, built in the 17th-century by John Thwaites, was remodelled for a new owner by the Yorkshire architect John Carr. It is a Grade II* listed building and has bee ...

is a 17th-century mansion and Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, once the home of

James Kitson, 1st Baron Airedale James Kitson, 1st Baron Airedale (22 September 1835 16 March 1911), PC, DSc, was an industrialist, locomotive builder, Liberal Party politician and a Member of Parliament for the Holme Valley. He was known as Sir James Kitson from 1886, unti ...

. It is now private flats.

Notable people

Arthur Louis Aaron Arthur Louis Aaron VC, DFM (5 March 1922 – 13 August 1943) was a Royal Air Force pilot and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealt ...

, Leeds' only Second World War recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, was born in Gledhow. *

Sir Edmund Beckett, 4th Baronet Sir Edmund Beckett-Denison, 4th Baronet (28 January 1787 – 24 May 1874) was a railway promoter and politician. Early life Beckett was born at Gledhow Hall, in Leeds, on 29 January 1787. He was a son of the banker Sir John Beckett, 1st Baronet ...

(1787 – 1874), railway promoter and politician, was born at Gledhow Hall. *

Albert Johanneson Albert Louis Johanneson (13 March 1940 – 28 September 1995) was a South African professional footballer who was one of the first high-profile black men, of any nationality, to play top-flight football in England. He is recognised as being ...

professional footballer (Leeds United) lived in Gledhow Towers.

Gallery

File:Lidget Towes.jpg, Lidgett Towers File:Highwood.jpg, The Highwood public houses

References

External links